We Killed Them First: How the Robert Pickton Investigation Revealed Systemic and Intersectional Discrimination within Canada

Robert Pickton is often considered to be Canada’s most notorious serial killer. By his own estimation, he murdered 49 women over at least 5 years (Craig, 3). The Pickton case brought attention to fundamental issues within the Canadian justice system and highlighted systemic inequities. From the outset, the police failed to take the issue of missing and murdered women seriously because the women were considered expendable. As members of several marginalized communities at the intersection of race, low socioeconomic status, and stigmatized labour, the loss of these women was considered acceptable. I argue that the intersection of these characteristics that were “accepted” as defining Pickton’s victims demonstrates that the assumptions and biases of those who enforce the law (police and judges) can seriously impair the system's ability to create equitable outcomes. Utilizing media analysis, this paper looks at the language commonly found in articles about Pickton and his victims to demonstrate the role intersectional characteristics played in crafting certain narratives to the public.